convince

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin convincō (“I refute, prove”), from con- + vincō (“I conquer, vanquish”). Doublet of convict. Displaced native Old English oferreċċan.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /kənˈvɪns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪns

Verb

convince (third-person singular simple present convinces, present participle convincing, simple past and past participle convinced)

1. To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.

   Synonyms: assure, convert, convict, satisfy

   I wouldn't have or do something, unless I'm convinced that it's good.

   • 1718, Francis Atterbury, sermon preached on Easter Day at Westminster Abbey:

     Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might enable them to convince others.

2. To persuade.

   Synonyms: win over; see also Thesaurus:persuade

3. (obsolete, transitive) To overcome, conquer, vanquish.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:defeat

   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vii], page 135:

     […] his two Chamberlaines / Will I with Wine, and Waſſell, ſo conuince, / That Memorie, the Warder of the Braine, / Shall be a Fume, […]

4. (acting) To behave believably in a role; to make someone perceive oneself as the character being portrayed.
5. (obsolete, transitive) To confute; to prove wrong.

   Synonyms: debunk, disprove, rebut, refute

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 18:28:

     For hee mightily conuinced the Iewes, and that publikely, shewing by the scriptures, that Iesus was Christ.

   • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Atheisme. XVI.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 90:

     And therfore, God neuer wrought Miracle, to conuince Atheiſme, becauſe his Ordinary Works conuince it.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To prove guilty; to convict.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 8:46, column 1:

     Which of you conuinceth mee of ſinne?

   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act II, page 18:

     O ſeek not to convince me of a Crime / Which I can ne'er repent, nor can you pardon.

Derived terms

• convinceable
• convincement
• convincer
• unconvince

Related terms

• convict
• conviction
• convincible
• convincingly
• reconvince

Translations

to make someone believe, or feel sure about something

• Arabic: أَقْنَعَ (ar) (ʔaqnaʕa)

  Hijazi Arabic: أَقْنَعَ (ʔagnaʕ)

  South Levantine Arabic: أَقْنَعَ (ʔaqnaʕ)

• Armenian: համոզել (hy) (hamozel)
• Asturian: convencer
• Azerbaijani: inandırmaq (az)
• Basque: konbentzitu
• Belarusian: запэ́ўніваць impf (zapéwnivacʹ), запэ́ўніць pf (zapéwnicʹ)
• Bulgarian: убеждавам (bg) (ubeždavam), убедя́ pf (ubedjá)
• Catalan: convèncer (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 說服 / 说服 (zh) (shuōfú)

• Czech: přesvědčit (cs)
• Danish: overbevise, overtale, overtyde
• Dutch: overtuigen (nl)
• Esperanto: konvinki
• Estonian: veenma (et)
• Finnish: vakuuttaa (fi)
• French: convaincre (fr), persuader (fr)
• Georgian: დარწმუნება (darc̣muneba)
• German: überzeugen (de)
• Greek: πείθω (el) (peítho)

  Ancient Greek: πείθω (peíthō), ἀναπείθω (anapeíthō)

• Hebrew: שכנע (he) (shikhnéa)
• Hungarian: meggyőz (hu)
• Icelandic: sannfæra (is)
• Italian: convincere (it)
• Japanese: 説得する (ja) (せっとくする, settoku-surú), 納得させる (ja) (nattoku-saseru), 自覚させる (ja) (jikaku-saseru)
• Khmer: ប្រលោម (km) (prɑlaom), អន្ទង (km) (ɑntɔɔŋ), បញ្ចុះបញ្ចូល (bɑɲcoh bɑɲcool)
• Korean: 납득시키다 (napdeuksikida), 확신시키다 (hwaksinsikida), 설득하다 (ko) (seoldeukhada)
• Latin: persuadere, (to have oneself convinced) sibi persuasum habere, convinco
• Latvian: pārliecināt
• Macedonian: убедува impf (ubeduva), убеди pf (ubedi)
• Maltese: ikkonvinċa
• Māori: whakapakepake, whakakīkī, whakawhere
• Mongolian: итгүүлэх (itgüülex), үнэмшүүлэх (ünemšüülex)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: overbevise (no)

• Old English: oferreccan, oferstǣlan
• Polish: przekonywać (pl) impf, przekonać (pl) pf
• Portuguese: convencer (pt)
• Romanian: convinge (ro)
• Romansh: cunventscher, conventscher, persvader, parschuader
• Russian: убежда́ть (ru) impf (ubeždátʹ), убеди́ть (ru) pf (ubedítʹ)
• Sardinian: cumbínchere, cumbinci, cumbínghere, cunvinci, cunvínciri
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: у̀вјерити, убе́дити

  Latin: ùvjeriti (sh), ubéditi (sh)

• Sicilian: cunvìnciri (scn), cummìnciri (scn)
• Slovak: presvedčiť pf
• Slovene: prepríčati
• Spanish: convencer (es), llevar al huerto, llevarse al huerto
• Swedish: övertyga (sv)
• Telugu: నమ్మించు (te) (nammiñcu), ఒప్పించు (te) (oppiñcu)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: ikna etmek (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: اقناع ایتمك (iknâʼ etmek)

• Ukrainian: переко́нувати impf (perekónuvaty), перекона́ти pf (perekonáty)
• Venetan: convinçer, convinser, convinçar
• Vietnamese: thuyết phục (vi)

Italian

Verb

convince

1. third-person singular present indicative of convincere

Latin

Verb

convince

1. second-person singular present active imperative of convincō

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuŋˈviŋt͡ʃe/

Verb

convince

1. to convince

Related terms

• convinsion